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PUREX工艺

1950
  • Herbert H. Anderson
  • Larned B. Asprey
Nuclear reprocessing facility utilizing the PUREX process for uranium and plutonium extraction.

(图片仅供参考)

PUREX, an acronym for Plutonium and Uranium Recovery by Extraction, is the primary industrial 方法 for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. It employs liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) to separate uranium and plutonium from highly radioactive fission products. The process uses a 30% solution of tributyl phosphate (TBP) in a hydrocarbon diluent to selectively extract U(VI) and Pu(IV) from a nitric acid feed.

The PUREX process, developed in the late 1940s as part of the US nuclear program, became the global standard for nuclear reprocessing. Its success lies in the high selectivity of the extractant, tributyl phosphate (TBP), for uranium and plutonium in specific oxidation states. The process begins by dissolving spent fuel rods in hot nitric acid. In the first extraction step, the aqueous nitric acid solution containing uranium, plutonium, and fission products is contacted with the TBP/kerosene solvent. TBP forms stable complexes with hexavalent uranium (as [latex]UO_2(NO_3)_2(TBP)_2[/latex]) and tetravalent plutonium (as [latex]Pu(NO_3)_4(TBP)_2[/latex]), extracting them into the organic phase while most fission products, typically in the +1, +2, or +3 oxidation states, remain in the aqueous raffinate.

Separation of uranium and plutonium is then achieved in a subsequent step. A reducing agent, such as ferrous sulfamate or hydroxylamine nitrate, is added to selectively reduce plutonium from Pu(IV) to the inextractable Pu(III) state. This allows plutonium to be ‘stripped’ back into a fresh aqueous phase, while uranium remains in the organic phase. Finally, the uranium is stripped from the organic solvent using a dilute nitric acid solution. The process is highly efficient but generates significant volumes of liquid radioactive waste and carries proliferation concerns due to the separation of pure plutonium. Advanced variants of the PUREX process are being developed to co-extract plutonium with other actinides to create a more proliferation-resistant product.

UNESCO Nomenclature: 2209
– Nuclear and high-energy physics

类型

化学过程

中断

Substancial

用法

广泛使用

前体

  • 核裂变和超铀元素的发现
  • the Manhattan project’s need for plutonium separation (e.g., the earlier bismuth phosphate process)
  • 磷酸三丁酯(TBP)作为增塑剂和溶剂的开发
  • 高放射性物质远程处理技术的进展
  • development of mixer-settler and pulsed column contactors

应用程序

  • 回收裂变材料(铀-235、钚-239)以供核反应堆重复使用
  • 生产用于核武器的分离钚
  • 制造混合氧化物(MOX)燃料
  • 减少高放射性核废料的体积和长期放射毒性
  • 分离用于医疗或工业用途的特定同位素

专利:

  • US2924506A

潜在创新理念

  • 先进的 PUREX 变体(例如 UREX+),可同时提取次锕系元素和钚,以降低扩散风险
  • 开发离子液体作为替代溶剂以减少挥发性有机废物
  • 离心接触器通过最大程度缩短接触时间来减少辐射暴露导致的溶剂降解
  • 电化学方法控制氧化状态以取代化学试剂
  • 用于实时监测铀和钚浓度的先进传感器
  • 热处理作为 PUREX 的非水基替代方案
  • 使用 PUREX 衍生产品销毁长寿命放射性废物的分离和转化策略
  • microfluidic PUREX systems for research and analytical purposes
  • development of selective stripping agents for separating minor actinides from lanthanides
  • 将 PUREX 与玻璃化工艺相结合,实现更高效的废物管理
Related to: PUREX, nuclear reprocessing, spent nuclear fuel, plutonium, uranium, tributyl phosphate, TBP, solvent extraction, nuclear chemistry, radioactive waste.

历史背景

PUREX工艺

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(如果日期未知或不相关,例如“流体力学”,则提供其显著出现的近似估计)

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